Born in 1935, the man dubbed “the King of Rock and Roll”, Elvis Presley died 45 years ago at the young age of 42. His first song to receive radio play was his cover of Arthur Crudup’s “That’s All Right” in 1954.
Elvis’ debut self-titled studio album was released in 1956, and that same year he made his feature film debut in Love Me Tender. Across his 20-plus year entertainment career, he starred in over 30 movies. No one can give any definitive numbers, but it is estimated that Elvis has 500 million to 1 billion in record sales and is considered by Guinness World Records as the best-selling solo artist in history.
Two generations of people have been born since Elvis Presley died in 1977. Not only has his music remained popular and relevant, he continues to increase his fan base, with some even dedicated enough to tattoo his face on their body.
It’s funny how things come full circle: Elvis served in the US military where modern tattooing began to gain traction. Now it’s commonplace for the larger population to get tattooed – some of these tattoos just so happen to honour Elvis.
Although when compared to other artists he’s not quite “The King” of music themed tattoos, Elvis has still managed to find his niche within another niche community that is tattoo collectors.
Line up a playlist and take a look at these Elvis Presley tattoos.
The Tattooed Archivist 